Inside the opulent, gold-leafed study of the Imperial Palace, Emperor Lucius slammed his palm against the mahogany desk.
The crystal inkwell beside his hand shattered into fragments.
Black ink spilled across the parchment like a pool of dark blood, slowly devouring the text of the covert missive from Mathias. The handwriting was jagged, cut into the page with unmistakable urgency:
*The Imperial enforcement failed. Roland escaped his estate through a river of blood. Worse, he abducted Olivia from the heart of Leceron Manor. I have formed a temporary pact with Cedric Allister. He claims to know the location of Roland's hidden sanctuary. We ride east now.*
Lucius read the final line twice.
Then, he slowly lifted his head. The lingering warmth in his eyes had turned entirely to stone.
"Cedric Allister is still at large, and now my sister is in that bastard's hands?"
His voice echoed sharply beneath the high, vaulted ceiling.
